《简·爱》 Chapter 15 第十五章（8）

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But unluckily the Varens, six months before, had given me this filette Adèle, who, she affirmed, was my daughter;

不幸的是，这位瓦伦在六个月之前给我留下了这个女孩阿黛勒，并咬定她是我女儿。

And perhaps she may be, though I see no proofs of such grim paternity written in her countenance¹.

也许她是，尽管我从她脸上看不到父女之间的必然联系。

Pilot is more like me than she.

派洛特还比她更像我呢。

Some years after I had broken with the mother, she abandoned her child, and ran away to Italy with a musician or singer.

我同瓦伦决裂后几年，瓦伦遗弃了孩子，同一个音乐家或是歌唱家私奔到了意大利。

I acknowledged no natural claim on Adèle's part to be supported by me, nor do I now acknowledge any, for I am not her father.

当时我并没有承认自己有抚养阿黛勒的义务，就是现在也不承认，因为我不是她的父亲。

But hearing that she was quite destitute², I e' en took the poor thing out of the slime and mud of Paris, and transplanted it here,

不过一听到她穷愁潦倒，我便把这个可怜虫带出了巴黎的泥坑，转移到这里，

to grow up clean in the wholesome³ soil of an English country garden.

让她在英国乡间花园健康的土壤中，干干净净地成长。

Mrs. Fairfax found you to train it.

费尔法克斯太太找到了你来培养她。

But now you know that it is the illegitimate offspring of a French opera- girl,

而现在，你知道她是一位法国歌剧女郎的私生女了，

you will perhaps think differently of your post and protegee.

你也许对自己的职位和保保人身份，改变了想法。

You will be coming to me some day with notice that you have found another place

说不定哪一天你会来见我，通知我己经找到了别的工作。

that you beg me to look out for a new governess, etc. — Eh?

让我另请一位新的家庭教师等等呢？

No. Adèle is not answerable for either her mother's faults or yours.

不，阿黛勒不应对她母亲和你的过失负责。

I have a regard for her.

我很关心她。

And now that I know she is, in a sense, parentless — forsaken⁴ by her mother and disowned by you, sir — I shall cling closer to her than before.

现在我知道她在某种意义上说没有父母—被她的母亲所抛弃，而又不被你所承认，先生 — 我会比以前更疼爱她。

How could I possibly prefer the spoilt pet of a wealthy family,

我怎么可能喜欢富贵人家一个讨厌家庭教师的娇惯的宠儿，

who would hate her governess as a nuisance, to a lonely little orphan⁵, who leans towards her as a friend?

而不喜欢象朋友一样对待她的孤苦无依的小孤儿呢？

1 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

2 destitute   

adj.缺乏的；穷困的

参考例句：

• They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
• They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。

3 wholesome   

adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的

参考例句：

• In actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome.实际上我喜欢做的事大都是有助于增进身体健康的。
• It is not wholesome to eat without washing your hands.不洗手吃饭是不卫生的。

4 Forsaken   

adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词

参考例句：

• He was forsaken by his friends. 他被朋友们背弃了。
• He has forsaken his wife and children. 他遗弃了他的妻子和孩子。

5 orphan   

n.孤儿；adj.无父母的

参考例句：

• He brought up the orphan and passed onto him his knowledge of medicine.他把一个孤儿养大，并且把自己的医术传给了他。
• The orphan had been reared in a convent by some good sisters.这个孤儿在一所修道院里被几个好心的修女带大。